Peshawar private schools | Balochistan, Fata scholarships

Afghan kids being refused admission
Peshawar, Mar 31: Some private schools in the provincial metropolis have refused
admissions to the Afghan students on reported directives of the government,
while the education department has denied having issued any notification banning
admissions to Afghan children in private or public sector educational
institutions.

Parents of some of the Afghan students Monday said that they took their children to a private school in Hayatabad for
admission to 6th and 7th grades. But the school administration refused to give
admissions, saying that they had got directives from the provincial education
department not to admit Afghan children.

The parents, who have been
living in Peshawar since long, were concerned about the education of their
children. They said their children were already studying in another school in
the same township, but in search of a better institution they pulled them out
from there.

When contacted, the head of Forward Public School, Sarfaraz,
where the students had been allegedly denied admission, said that he had read a
news item in an Urdu newspaper wherein the private schools had been asked not to
offer fresh admissions to the Afghan children, otherwise their registration
would be cancelled. "I don't want to lose registration of my school, which is
why I refused admissions to the Afghan children," he remarked.

When
asked had he got the statement verified from the department concerned, Sarfaraz
said it was not necessary for the department to issue notifications to each and
every school. "We also come to know about holidays and other matters from the
newspapers and we don't feel necessary to get each and everything verified," he
said.

He said that a number of Afghan students had already been studying
in his school, but no fresh admission is offered to the Afghan children.

NWFP Secretary for Elementary and Secondary Education Mohammad Arifeen,
when reached on telephone, rejected the report about the notification as
baseless. He said that the government had not taken any decision to put a ban on
the education of Afghan children.

The official said there was no truth
in the media report and the reporter concerned should have got it confirmed
before publishing it. He said that as similar 'baseless' reports are published
in some newspapers frequently, he doesn't deem it necessary to issue
clarification or contradiction of those reports.

Management of other
schools contacted by this reporter also expressed unawareness about any
directives banning admissions to Afghan children.

Nazar Hussain, general
secretary of Chamber of Education, an association of private schools, said he
was not aware of any notification to this effect. "But if it is so, it would be
a great injustice. Education is the internationally recognised birth right of
every child. Since these Afghan children have born here, they should be provided
access to education here," he remarked.

Another official while talking
to us on the condition of anonymity said it might be a tactic of the
government to press the Afghan refugees living in the provincial capital to
leave for their country. However, no written document to this effect has been
issued by any government department, he said.

Teachers assured of solution to problems
Mansehra: Federal Minister for Science and Technology Azam Khan Swati has
assured the teacher community of an early solution to their problems.

A
20-member delegation of All Teachers Coordination Council (ATCC) called on Swati
here Monday to apprise him of the problems the teachers were facing.

The
delegation, headed by its president Abdul Khaliq, said that about 1400 male and
female teachers of Mansehra district were facing numerous problems because of
the apathy of the authorities concerned.

They said after the October 8,
2005 earthquake, the House Building Finance Corporation and Zarai Taraqiati Bank
Limited loans were written off in the district, but the salary loans of the
government employees, including teachers, were not waived off so far.

The
teachers demanded of the government that they should also be included in housing
schemes. They also demanded reinstatement of number of the teachers 'who were
terminated unlawfully.'

The delegation said after the tug-of-war between
the provincial ministers and district government, hundreds of male and female
teachers were being transferred unlawfully. They said that posting and transfers
carried out as a result of the ongoing confrontation between the provincial and
district set-ups should immediately be withdrawn as it was affecting the
students.

The teachers informed that despite the lapse of three months,
the education department could not issue appointment letters to over 800 male
and female teachers selected from the district.

Speaking to the
representatives of ATCC, Azam Khan Swati said that he was already aware of some
of the core issues of Education Department, as he had also remained district
nazim of Mansehra. He said that he would take up their problems with the
authorities concerned in the provincial government. The News

120 youth from Balochistan, Fata to receive scholarships on Apr 1
Islamabad: The Higher Education Commission (HEC) is organizing its first merit scholarship
certificate award ceremony under the Project "Provision of Higher Education
Opportunities for the Students of Balochistan and Federally Administered Tribal
Areas (FATA)" on April 1.

The
initiative has been taken under President's Directive and the awards ceremony
would be held on Wednesday at 3:30 p.m. at HEC headquarters here. The scholars
will also be paid first installment of the stipend etc. Around 120 scholars are
expected to receive the award.

This is a
fully funded educational opportunity for students of Balochistan and FATA which
covers the tuition fee, living allowance, book allowance and travel and
settlement allowance.

The
scholarships have been awarded on merit; are not linked to any discipline; and
distributed among Districts of Balochistan and Agencies in FATA on population
basis.

The scheme
provides for award of 2000 scholarships i.e. 700 for Masters Program and 1300
for Graduate Studies over period of seven years.

However,
the distribution between Balochistan and FATA is in ratio of 60 to 40 percent.
The total number of scholarships will gradually increase each year whereas
during the first year there are only 140 scholarships.

The total
cost of Scheme is Rs. 981.486 million. Deputy Speaker National Assembly Fazal
Karim Kundi will be the Chief Guest while Syed Akhundzada Chitan, Member
National Assembly from FATA and Syed Nasir Ali Shah, Member National Assembly
from Quetta will also address the participants.

Besides
educationists, heads of various scientific organizations and educational
institutions would also attend the ceremony. App

College professor gunned down in Kalat
Kalat: Unknown armed men gunned down a professor of the Government Degree College, Kalat, here in Surab on
Monday. According to the police, Professor Muhammad Alam Zehri was waiting for
bus on the

National Highway when unknown assailants shot him dead and
fled. The motive behind the killing could not be ascertained. Police
registered a case and started a search for the assailants. The News